Creating a Podcast

So, you fancy yourself an amateur DJ, or an amateur talk show host. Podcasting offers you the opportunity to self-publish radio shows on the internet. This chapter explains both the legal and technological requirements of podcasting, and how you can get started creating your own podcasts.

Now that you know what a podcast is, what's it's used for, and how it can affect your life, you may be inspired to create your very own podcast for distribution over the world's podwaves. Perhaps you would love to create a podcast but feel that the technology obstacles preclude you from ever doing so. Or perhaps you aren't worried about the technology but are unwilling to take the time to learn the ropes. Not to worry. Before you succumb to the fear of podcasting technology and crumple up in a fetal position while moaning gently about RSS feeds, have a look at this chapter; it'll change your point of view.

In this chapter, I take a look at the process of creating a podcast, from the nuts and bolts of recording techniques to the software that can help you edit and manipulate the podcast. I also include some tips and interviews with podcasting pioneers and aficionados whose hard-won experience will be to your benefit. After covering the equipment and the software needed for podcast creation, I walk you through the creation of a podcast from start to finish, using basic equipment and popular software.

Choosing Content

Before you get the ball rolling on creating a podcast, it is critically important to figure out what will be said (or not said) during the show. What limits are there when it comes to choosing content? In short, there are almost no limits to what can be included in podcasts. Podcasting allows you to create shows, dramatizations, vignettes, commentaries, documentaries, and any other content imaginable. Indeed, podcasting is limited only by individual podcasters' imaginations. The sky is the limit, and I encourage you to exercise your creative muscle when brainstorming podcast ideas.

Note

I say there are "almost no limits" on podcast content because some laws dealing with pornography, threatening political leaders, and other such nastiness would preclude anyone from including such material in a podcast. Despite the fact that podcasting is a new medium with a wide-open feel, it is not a license to break the law. It's only a matter of time before someone crosses a legal line with a podcast; just make sure that someone is not you.